“Nick‘s eyes widened as a total state of befuddled huh possessed him. Was he in theTwilight Zone?”

“Trying to care about that,” he said. He cocked his head and widened his eyes. “Huh. I guess I’m not managing it.”

“Keni's eyes widened. "You purred at a guy? Really? Why?""Because he scratched me behind the ears, and I liked it.""Huh?”

“They need only to look at him, hear his name, and the last of reason goes up in smoke. They sink into a state of befuddlement.”

“Angel?"Yeah?" she looked up, all blue-eyed innocence.I felt stupid, but... "Can Total, um, talk?"Uh-huh," Angel said casually, squeezing water out of her hair.I stared at her. "He talks. Total talks, and you didn't tell me?"Well..." Angel looked for him, saw he was pretty far away, and lowered her voice. "Don't tell him I said this, but he's actually not that interesting.”

“It's total bullshit," he said. "The whole thing. Eighty percent survival rate and he's in the twenty percent? Bullshit. He was such a bright kid. It's bullshit. I hate it. But it was sure a privilege to love him, huh?”